Italian Engine Company Supports U.S. Navy Persian Gulf Efforts

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Italian Engine Company Supports U.S. Navy Persian Gulf Efforts
    CHESAPEAKE, Va., March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- An Italian company is helping to
support the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf crisis.  The company, Isotta
Fraschini, is home-based in Bari, Italy.  Its North American Operations are
managed by its subsidiary, FDGM Inc., of Chesapeake, Virginia.  Isotta-FDGM
provides special, high technology, non-magnetic diesel engines to the U.S.
Navy for its mine hunter and mine-sweeper ships.  A number of these ships have
been sent urgently to the Persian Gulf to support American efforts to disarm
Iraq.
    "We wanted to show America our solidarity," said engineer Giampiero
Riganti, President of the company.  "We thought the best way we could do this
was to put one of our top engineers on the American mine hunters heading to
the Gulf, to augment the U.S. Navy's existing mine fleet in theater and join
the Italian Navy Minesweepers there. The Italian Navy minesweepers are also
Isotta Powered."
    "Our engineer is there to make sure any problem encountered will be solved
and that the ships will perform at 100 percent.  This is our way of showing
our commitment to the United States," he continued.
    Italy is an important ally of the United States.  That strong bond has
recently been reaffirmed by President Bush and Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi.
    Isotta-FDGM has taken a number of other steps to help keep the Navy's mine
warfare ships in tip-top shape.

    Isotta/FDGM has:

    *   established a full-service and parts support facility with factory
        trained mechanics in Ingleside -- five miles from where most of the
        ships are home ported;

    *   established a full support facility in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf to
        ensure that the forward deployed ships are in a constant state of
        mission readiness;

    *   established a full support facility in Sasebo, Japan to support the
        mine warfare ships in the Pacific theater; and,

    *   undertaken future-oriented programs in the Navy to assure full fleet
        readiness and high performance for the future.

    Isotta Fraschini engines are supplied to the Italian Navy and many other
friendly countries.
SOURCE Isotta-FDGM